


Left Turn

by liketolaugh



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: AU, Exorcist!Mana, F/M, Series of minor canon divergences
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-03
Updated: 2015-08-06
Packaged: 2018-04-12 18:38:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4490421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liketolaugh/pseuds/liketolaugh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What the DGM universe might have looked like if it had taken a left turn somewhere. Or a lot of left turns.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Yuu and Alma

Alma was throwing up again.

Yuu frowned to himself, carefully holding her long black hair out of her face as she panted over the toilet, slightly sweaty and eyes shut. This was the third day running, and he was getting concerned - Alma was almost never sick.

When no more came up, he asked her, "Done?"

Alma blew out a breath and sat back, glancing up at him with dark brown eyes and a weary smile. "Yeah, I think so."

Yuu and Alma Kaneshiro had been exorcists for three years now, and married for just the last one of those. Yuu had to admit that he was slightly surprised that Chief Leverrier had permitted it, and more than a little suspicious of his motives.

Then again, the moments of happiness they could snatch from beneath the coldhearted man's nose were more than worth anything he could throw at them.

Yuu nodded and stood up, holding out a hand to haul her to her feet.

"Right," he said decisively, pulling her toward the door, and never mind the lack of day clothes. "You're going to the infirmary."

Alma laughed a little and pulled her wrist out of his grip. "All right, Yuu. But let's get dressed first." She smirked slightly. "Unless you want everyone to see you in nothing but your sweatpants?"

Yuu looked down at himself and scowled.

"Fine. We'll get dressed first."

* * *

The Head Nurse, Yuu mused, seemed to be getting more agitated the longer she bustled around, performing tests that didn't mean anything to either exorcist. It would be funny, if it weren't so concerning.

Finally, though, she sat both Yuu and Alma down, sat in front of them, and announced, face slightly grim, "Alma is pregnant."

Yuu's jaw dropped. Alma blinked rapidly for a moment, and then a wide, beaming smile broke over her face, and she jumped to her feet, pulling Yuu with her and spinning him around.

"Yuu!" she exclaimed, joy saturating her voice. "We're having a baby!"

Yuu stared dumbly for a moment, barely managing to keep up, dark brown hair threatening to tangle into Alma's black and navy eyes wide - and then he, too, grinned.

"We're having a baby," he repeated, voice low and awed.

It was like he'd spent the last three years sitting in a cave, lit but dark and damp, and suddenly he held a geode in his hands, colorful and glittering and beautiful.

Alma laughed, delighted, eyes sparkling. Yuu thought that she had never looked so beautiful.

Head Nurse watched them with a small smile for a long moment as they shared their moment of joy, for just a moment lost in their own world. Then she finally, apologetically, cleared her throat.

Alma slowly spun to a stop, looking at her expectantly.

"Are you going to keep it?" Head Nurse asked quietly, hating to shatter the moment but knowing she must.

Yuu scowled, and Alma started to look offended before it hit them.

Of course. They were being stupid. Reality wasn't beautiful or wonderful or glorious. Not here in the Order, at least. No, it was pain and despair, death and grief. They would probably die before the child was half grown. They might die before it was born.

And then, growing up - there weren't any children here, for a good reason, at that, and they wouldn't have anyone their age. Adult friends would vanish without warning, and besides… Well, Yuu had a sudden insight as to why he and Alma had been allowed to stay together. The child would almost certainly grow to be an exorcist.

But fresh in their minds was that one glowing moment. Alma was pregnant. They were having a child.

Yuu looked down at Alma, who smiled gently back up, patted his cheek, and said to Head Nurse,

"Of course we will."

* * *

"Your mission," Chief Leverrier said curtly, watching coldly as the three of them opened their mission folders, "is to retrieve an accommodator located on the eastern side of Moscow." A sneer tugged at the corner of his mouth.  _"Kindly_  recall that the Black Order is a secret organization, and you therefore may not use you less discreet abilities - _Edeline."_

Edeline tossed her ball-bomb in the air and rolled her eyes, but nodded. "Got it. No firestorms this time. Ice storms okay?"

"No," Leverrier replied flatly, absolutely void of humor. She sighed and Alfons chuckled.

The twenty-two year old woman looked at Yuu and gave him a tired smirk, slightly sympathetic.

"Well, let's get this done quickly so you can get back to your wife, alright?"

Edeline and Alfons had joined the Order at the same time, just a few months after Yuu and Alma had, and the four of them were good friends, and worked well together to boot. Yuu was grateful for their support, more than he'd tell them.

Yuu, tense and annoyed, grunted and nodded.

Alma would have been with them - even heavily pregnant, she was a damn good fighter - but she was now nine months since and due any day. Prudently, Chief Leverrier had temporarily taken her off missions.

 _Which he should have done at least two months ago,_  Yuu thought irritably. He'd been worried sick about Alma whenever she so much as stepped out the bedroom door, let alone when she fought akuma or, god forbid, went on a mission without him.

She'd been very careful to remind him that she could take care of herself. Usually with a kick in the face or a knife at his neck.

A hand landed on his arm, and he jerked his head up with a budding snarl to meet Alfons' reassuring look.

"Don't worry, Yuu," the twenty-one year old said quietly. "Alma will be fine. Head Nurse is looking after her, remember?"

"Che!" Yuu scowled and stepped away, but, after a moment, he nodded grudgingly. "I suppose you're right." He took a deep breath, and then let it out slowly. "Let's just get this over with."

"Now, if you will?" Leverrier raised an imperious eyebrow, unimpressed by the byplay. Yuu tensed again, gritting his teeth, but looked away in favor of leaving the room - he couldn't stand Leverrier.

Yuu was stormy as they headed for the entrance, but Edeline and Alfons were unbothered.

No sooner were they there, however, than they heard,

"Wait, wait, wait! Mr. Kaneshiro!  _Mr. Kaneshiro!"_

All three of them turned around and Yuu raised his eyebrow, looking at the frantic finder expectantly.

"Yes? What is it?"

"Mrs. Kaneshiro!" the finder gasped out, skidding to a stop and panting. "Mrs. Kaneshiro is having the baby!"

Yuu took a moment to process that, and then his eyes widened and he stiffened. His eyes darted to land on Edeline and Alfons.

Edeline smiled at him confidently and clapped a hand on Alfons' shoulder. "Go ahead, Yuu. Alfons and I can take care of this, right, Alfons?"

"Of course," Alfons agreed readily, smiling at Yuu. "Go ahead, Yuu - and congratulations."

Yuu smiled at them briefly.

"Thank you," he said, and then took off running.

Ten hours later, he and Alma were both smiling at little Aya Kaneshiro.

One week later, they discovered that everyone on the Moscow retrieval mission had been wiped out.


	2. Aya Kaneshiro

"Can't catch me!" Aya giggled, running in circles around the elevator to avoid the flustered finder looking after her.

"Miss Aya, please stop!" Adam pleaded, looking harried as he chased her, trying to get her to stop making a fool of him. He hadn't been watching her for very long, so Aya knew she could still mess with him.

Leverrier watched them both with disdain clear in his eyes, back stiff and straight, hands folded behind his back.

"Pitiful," he muttered. "A twenty year old finder can't catch a four year old girl."

Admittedly, it wasn't often that Aya was this lighthearted; the grim environment made her a breath of fresh air for the exorcists and the finders alike, but it also dampened her spirits, seeing grim faces and tears more often than smiles and laughter.

Adam blew out a breath and dove for the little girl, who giggled and dodged away.

Unexpectedly, though, her feet slipped out from under her, and she slid neatly under the railing, her eyes just starting to widen in surprise.

Adam's eyes widened, too, and he tried to snatch for her hand but missed. Leverrier cursed and lunged forward himself, trying to save his little experiment, but only clutching at the railing, watching her fall.

Aya screamed, reaching up fruitlessly, little body falling through the air, navy eyes wide and blue-black hair whipping around her face.

At the Order, people disappeared all the time. That was the real reason why she never kept a babysitter for long - they would smile and kiss her forehead and leave Headquarters, and then she'd never see them again.

Was she going to disappear, too? Like Maria and Blake and Amy? Like Giovanni and Hugo and Jasmine?

...What about her Mommy and Daddy? Would they be sad? She didn't want that.

Far below, Hevlaska looked up suddenly and saw the little girl falling through the air, reaching toward the elevator. She inhaled sharply and prepared to catch her, but as it developed, she didn't need to - a glowing green cube shot out and away from her, whizzing toward the falling body.

People shouldn't be sad. People should be happy. But they were always sad, and it made her sad, too.

People shouldn't be sad.

A green glow erupted from below her, and her hand closed instinctively around a handle.

Instantly, she felt different. She wanted to… to jump as high as the moon, or run… really, really far and fast. And maybe she'd even leave the castle!

A bright, glowing smile broke across her face, navy eyes gleaming, and she swung up onto the scythe, straddling it like a railing. Her eyes widened, and she smiled wider, looking at it admiringly.

"Wow," she whispered.

The scythe's handle was dark metal, cool and smooth, and the blade glowed bright green, like new grass. It looked sharp and dangerous, but she didn't feel scared; she felt safe.

She felt warm all over, too, like when she slept in her parents' bed, and even before she heard the voice, she was expecting it.

_Hello, Aya. Happy to meet you at last._

She smiled, leaning down slightly. "Than'os!"

 _Thanatos,_  he corrected fondly. When she frowned in concentration, he chuckled.  _It will come in time, little one, like many things._

The elevator reached her level before she could respond, and Adam, flooded with relief, snatched her back in. Aya went willingly enough, taking her child-sized scythe with her.

He placed her on the ground and knelt down to look her over, worried, while she blinked at him. What could happen to her when she had Thanatos to look after her? Silly Adam!

Adam's eyes found the scythe and he stared. Aya tilted her head at him, frowning.

"Oh my god," Adam whispered. He swallowed, and some of the other finders backed up a few steps, murmuring. "Aya, where did you get that?"

Aya, suddenly feeling that something was amiss, stepped back, looking uncertain. On Thanatos, the bright green glow faded to black steel. "He likes me," she whispered in a small voice.

 _They can't do anything to you,_  Thanatos reassured her.  _They hold very little power over you now, Aya._

A shadow fell over her, and she looked up, navy eyes starting to fill with fear.

Leverrier smirked down at her, eyes dark.

"He, hm?" he asked, a hint of triumph in his voice. Thanatos growled softly, and Aya stepped back, afraid. "What is his name, my dear?"

She stared up at him, frightened. He'd only rarely spoken to her before, and never like this. Hugging the scythe to herself, she mumbled out her answer.

"What was that, Miss Kaneshiro?" he asked, voice suddenly dropping and becoming much more dangerous.

"...Tha-na… Thanatos."

He smiled triumphantly. "Thanatos, hm? A frightful name." He nodded to a finder. "Take us to the training floor."

She stared at the ground as the elevator changed directions, starting to move to a different floor.

"What do you say, Miss Kaneshiro, that we go tell your parents the good news? I'm sure they'll be delighted."

She stole a glance up at him through blue-black bangs.

Aya had never liked Leverrier. He was big and scary and mean to her mommy and daddy. If he didn't insist that she spent time with him, she wouldn't ever.

Adam found his voice, dry but firm. "Go on, Aya."

Aya glanced at him, too.

She'd had a lot of babysitters. They never stayed for long. Adam wasn't her favorite, but he was nice, and she liked him.

Adam looked scared. Would he get in trouble if she didn't go?

 _You'll be alright,_  Thanatos reassured her.  _He can't hurt you._

Aya lifted her head to look far, far up at Leverrier, not smiling now. "Okay."

He smiled. She thought it looked nasty. "Wonderful."

The elevator clicked to a halt, and he grabbed her hand, his grip so hard that it made her hand hurt. She whimpered quietly, her free hand holding Thanatos tightly. Tears welled up in her eyes.

He nearly dragged her off the elevator, Adam staring after them concernedly, and went down halls she sort of recognized. This way led to the training rooms.

 _Don't just let him do this to you,_  Thanatos whispered, tone dropping to something more forceful than he'd used thus far.

Stumbling to keep up with Leverrier, Aya bit her lip, teary eyes scared. After a moment, though, she scowled through her tears, emboldened by Thanatos and his words, and started to struggle.

"Let go of me! Let go!"

His grip tightened and she yelped, tears starting to pour down her face.

"Let!  _Go!"_

"Stop moving, exorcist!" Leverrier hissed out, expression furious.

She shut up, if only because of what he called her. Exorcist? She wasn't an exorcist. Mommy was an exorcist. Daddy was an exorcist. Exorcists were big and strong and fast and went outside the castle, and sometimes they disappeared, too.

He opened a door and pulled her in. Momentarily, Aya was distracted.

She loved watching her parents train. Loved it. They looked amazing doing this, jumping and flying through the air, flipping and spinning and clashing like they were dancing their own strange, dangerous dance. They were both beautiful, she thought.

It took only seconds for her daddy to notice her and he frowned, raising his Mugen to block her mommy's Blades. That made Mommy look over, too, and both of them drew to a halt.

"Aya?" Daddy asked, a deep frown in his face, dark brown hair still waving a little.

"Yuu, Alma," Leverrier greeted when Aya didn't answer, head ducked and face anxious. "I thought you'd like to know that your daughter is now qualified to become an exorcist. You should be proud."

They didn't look proud. Mommy's eyes widened, her body freezing in place, and Daddy had started to snarl, looking angrier than the time Drake had nearly let her fall off the cliff outside Headquarters.

Daddy sheathed Mugen then and started forward, face furious, but Mommy beat him to it, storming straight past him and slapping Leverrier clear across the face.

For a moment, he just blinked in shock. Aya felt the grip on her hand loosen and pulled away quickly, running to half-hide behind her father, who pushed her a little farther back, glaring at Leverrier.

"She is  _four,_  you asshole!" Mommy snarled. Aya gasped softly, eyes widening, tear-filled eyes threatening to spill over as she trembled, clutching her father's leg. All the adults were angry and Leverrier wanted something from her and she didn't understand. "She's not old enough!"

 _Damn straight, you're not old enough,_  Thanatos muttered, sounding irritated.

"Old enough for what?" Aya whispered desperately. No one answered.

"Thanatos," Leverrier replied, voice silky smooth, "disagrees."

Thanatos muttered angrily, and Aya's grip tightened. Mommy took a deep breath, looking like she couldn't believe the man in front of her. "We can get her Innocence forged into a weapon. She'll be an exorcist someday, it's true, but she is four years old, Leverrier. She wouldn't last five minutes."

Leverrier looked slightly doubtful but, under the combined glares of Aya's mommy and daddy, he folded. Sort of.

"Six. I give you two more years."

"Eight," Mommy hissed, eyes dangerous.

Leverrier closed his eyes, resigned. "Very well. Eight years old. No older."

Daddy looked down at Aya, visibly worried, and Aya blinked back up at him - still clutching Thanatos.


	3. Lenalee Lee

"Hello, brother."

Komui started, looking up from his rabbit sketch to meet with his sister's lovely, curious face.

He'd deny it if anyone but Lenalee asked, but each time he saw her face, he felt a flood of relief. She was still alive. She was still okay.

"Lenalee!" he cried, leaping from his seat to embrace her.

Lenalee laughed and hugged him back, never one to turn him down. Meanwhile, Aya, twelve years old and also going on the mission with Lenalee, hung back with a bored expression, and Suman looked awkward.

Finally, though, Lenalee gently pushed him back. "So what's the mission, brother?"

Komui sobered instantly and looked down at the small stack of mission folders he had for them. "Ah, yes. Right." He cleared his throat and forced himself to beam at them while Lenalee collected the folders, passed them out, and opened hers, reading it with interest. "Your mission is to collect an Innocence from a town in Italy called Otantro. The finders have located it, but are unable to approach due to an infestation of low level akuma." He smiled, trying to calm his racing heart - he wasn't sure he'd ever get used to sending his sister into dangerous territory. "With your level of experience, you shouldn't have any trouble."

Suman snorted and shook his head. "You worry too much, Komui. I don't know why I'm even here, with these two."

Aya rolled her eyes, smirking, and Lenalee laughed at him; either one of the girls was at least as good as Suman, and he knew it.

"You are with them to keep evil boys off my precious sister," Komui informed him, with a sudden, evil smirk. "Of course, you have to do the same."

Suman flinched and nodded quickly. "Of course!"

Komui smiled, far too cheerful. "Good." His face turned serious again. "And good luck."

Aya waved her hand carelessly and nodded. Suman turned serious, too.

Komui ignored them both to hug Lenalee, tight and fervent. "I love you, Lenalee," he murmured, quiet and sincere.

Lenalee tried to laugh it off, hugging back with arms that were far too small.

"I'll be fine, brother," she reassured him, voice slightly strained. "You worry too much."

Komui gave her a look, pleading and desperate, and she smiled again, warmer.

"I love you, too, brother."

Komui smiled, just for her, and finally, reluctantly, straightened up again.

Lenalee turned away but smiled brightly over her shoulder, raising a hand in farewell. "I'll be back in a few days, brother."

"See you soon, Komui," Aya threw out, and Suman nodded once more at the man before they all left, door swinging shut behind them.

Komui took a deep breath, smile dropping.  _Here we go again._

He looked down at the sketch on his desk and returned to it. When Lenalee got back, he'd show it to her; bunnies were her favorite.

* * *

Komui hummed to himself cheerfully, elbow-deep in his newest, half-finished Komulin. With its help, he'd make this the best welcome home his sister had ever had, he was sure!

His golem buzzed, and he smiled brightly and rocked back, looking up.

"Hello," he sang, hoping it was Lenalee's group.

 _"Komui,"_  came Suman's terse voice, and Komui nearly danced.  _"Mission report."_

"Yes?" Komui said eagerly. "How did it go?"

Uncharacteristically, Suman ducked the question.  _"We'll be back in a few days. There were a lot more casualties than expected, and we lost the Innocence."_

"Oh." Slowly, Komui's smile faded. He propped it back up, knowing Lenalee would hear the difference. "Well, don't worry! There's always next time!" Even though it wasn't true, and every lost Innocence was a major blow.

There was an awkward silence, far too long, and Komui frowned. "Is something wrong?"

 _"I'm so sorry, Komui,"_  Aya blurted out. For once, she sounded her age, and completely wrecked to boot.

Komui's heart stopped, and for a moment, he couldn't breathe.

But he found his voice, because he had to know, and he choked out, unable to hide his panic, "Where's Lenalee?"

Suman's voice was heavy with regret and exhaustion.  _"I'm sorry, Komui. She's gone."_

...Gone?

His little sister was… gone?

Lenalee?

Komui wasn't entirely certain what happened next, but when he came back to himself, his papers were scattered across the ground, his chair was broken into pieces, his Komulin an unrecognizable wreck, and his hands were bleeding.

He let out a long, shuddering breath and let his knees buckle, slumping down right there in the middle of the floor, tears tracking down his face, shoulders shaking.

_Lenalee…_


	4. Little Allen Walker

Up. And down. Up. And down.

Mana sat with his back against Allen's gravestone, slowly tossing a juggling ball up, and then down.

"It's silly, you know, Allen."

Up. And down.

"I feel sadder than I have since Neah died."

Up. And down.

Sad, like rainclouds, dreary and full and threatening to break.

"But my mind is clearer, too."

Up. And down.

Clear. Like fog wiped from a window. Like dust cleaned from a filter. Cobwebs from an old grand piano.

"And I still can't cry."

Up. And down.

Mana smiled, small and sad and broken, staring at the ground, clutching the little ball in shaking hands.

"Isn't that silly, Allen?"

His shoulders shook, but his eyes were dry, his smile shaky but there, always there.

God, but he hurt. He almost wanted the madness back - it dulled the pain like a drug, in all its glory and consequences.

He wanted Neah back, his wonderful little brother, determined and caring and passionate.

But even more, he wanted Allen. Little, angry, mistrustful Allen, who was rude, who was blunt, who couldn't help but care even when the world had hurt him so badly. Who put up with his madness, who trusted him despite everything, tried as hard as he could.

God, he wanted his son back. Not the accommodator, not Neah's vessel - his son.

"Bring him back," Mana whispered, hunching over a little and hating God more than he ever had in his life. "Dammit, bring. Him.  _Back."_

"I can do that, you know."

Mana took in a shuddering breath, head dropping further and shoulders slumping. Of course.

"No, you can't," he whispered.

"I can," repeated the Earl, moving from behind to squat in front of him with that horrible wide smile. "If you can bring back the soul, Mana Walker, you can do anything you want with it. And you know I can do that much."

Yes. Yes, he did.

For a long time, he considered, staring at his shaking hand, back against the gravestone.

He wasn't entirely certain of the true extent of the Earl's power. What he  _did_  know was that he had almost no reason to do this. In fact, he had every reason not to. Except for one thing, something that could full well be key:

Before they'd turned against him, he had always loved both Neah and Mana.

He knew not to trust the Earl. He  _knew._  Intimately. There had been pain involved, and madness that lasted for years.

But somehow, faced with Allen's grave and a ghost of a chance, it was hard to remember.

"Why would you?" he asked, voice rasping and raw.

The Millenium Earl smiled. Mana could tell without looking. "Well, you aren't working against me any more, are you? And I know you miss your brother." His smile widened. "Think of it as an apology."

Mana knew that he shouldn't trust the Earl.

But he had to try. For Allen, he had to try.

"...Fine."

"Excellent!" the Earl smiled, jumping to his feet. He waved his arm, and a huge akuma skeleton appeared beside him.

Mana glanced up, sighed, and closed his eyes. "Earl, I know what an akuma skeleton looks like," he said tiredly.

The Earl chuckled. "Yes, the two processes are remarkably similar. However, after you call his soul down into an akuma skeleton, I will only have to implant it into a body - and then you can truly have your son back."

It was a long shot. A huge one. A ridiculous one.

Mana couldn't bring himself to care.

"Now…" The Earl stepped aside, eyes gleaming.

Mana rose to his feet as if in a trance, needing no further prompting. The juggling ball tumbled to the ground beside his feet. He lifted his head, revealing dark, desperate brown eyes. "A- _Allen!"_

The Earl's smile widened.

Mana waited a few agonizingly long moments before the skeleton started to move. But then it did, and a relieved smile broke across his face.

 _'Allen'_  engraved itself across the akuma's forehead, and it lifted its head. When it spoke, it used Allen's voice, high and frightened.

"M-Mana? Mana, what did you do?"

Mana let out a breath and stepped forward, reaching out to reassure the boy with the ease of long practice.

"It's okay, Allen. It's only temporary. You'll be alright soon, I promise."

Allen just stepped back; despite the lack of his real face, despite his height and build and complete inhumanity, his body language was so  _Allen_  that it made Mana ache.

But when he spoke, his voice was higher and faster, not reassured in the least.

"M-Mana, why am I an akuma? Why- Did you-  _Mana?"_

The huge skeleton's posture was scared and defensive; with its right arm raised as if to fend off a blow and its left hanging limp, poised to turn and run, Mana could easily see the wide-eyed, confused look to go with it.

And it hurt. Allen was scared, he was hurting, and he was acting like… like he couldn't believe Mana would do this to him. Like Mana had betrayed him, in ways he hadn't thought Mana ever would. Like he was still in shock, horrified and upset.

"It's okay," Mana repeated, more firmly. "It's okay. We'll bring you back right soon, Allen. We  _will."_

Just then, the Earl let out a booming laugh. Mana's heart sank.

"I didn't think that would work," the large Noah admitted, chuckling. "I overestimated you, Mana Walker, but I can't say I'm displeased."

Mana's heart stopped.

He was so stupid.

He'd never realized it quite like he had now, having to meet his son's fake gaze, reading the horror and fear in the boy's posture. He was so stupid and now Allen was going to pay for it.

"Curse you, Earl Millenium" Mana whispered, with as much venom as he could muster.  _And curse me, too._

"Now, my lovely akuma," the Earl continued, as if he hadn't heard, gesturing grandly to Mana, "Do your lonely father a favor and kill him, and wear his skin as your own."

Obediently, the akuma raised one arm, and Mana closed his eyes, bracing himself.

_I'm sorry, Neah._

He deserved this, really. He deserved this for being so stupid as to believe the Millenium Earl. He deserved this for letting Allen die. He deserved it for failing - failing his son, failing his brother, failing the world.

_I'm so sorry._

"N-no."

Mana opened his eyes to see the akuma - to see Allen - with its right arm shaking in place, right at the height of its arc, head turned away as if strained.

 _His little face would be screwed up,_  Mana thought dimly, pain lancing through his heart, ten times what it had been when he'd sat by the grave. _And he'd be scowling in defiance. He's always such a brat. Such an adorable, sweet little brat…_

"No, I don't want to. I don't want to!  _Don't make me!"_

All of the Earl's humor vanished in an instant. "Perhaps I wasn't clear enough. I  _order_  you to kill Mana Walker and wear his skin."

The akuma shook its head wildly, taking a step back. It was trembling all over now, hunched over as though in pain. Mana could see Allen with tear-filled eyes squeezed shut, making the same motions. "No. No! _No!"_  It tried to cover its head, but the shape wasn't right, and it was crying the best it could. "Mana, please! It hurts! Mana,  _make it stop!"_

Oh.

Mana's heart ached. Almost all akuma held great love for the ones who brought them back - a close connection was a necessity, after all. But they always killed their loved ones in the end.

But Allen, defiant, lonely, desperate little Allen, was refusing.

He'd never quite realized how much he'd meant to the boy.

_I'm so, so sorry, Allen. I love you. I love you so much._

He was frozen. He'd messed up. It was incomprehensible to him, how much he'd messed up, and he couldn't move.

No. He  _wouldn't_  move. He wouldn't leave Allen.

"Mana!  _Run!_  Please!"

"I won't leave you, Allen," Mana contradicted softly, something he'd had to tell the boy so many times, in the beginning, before he started to believe him. He stepped forward, reached up, and carefully wrapped his hand around the blade of the akuma's left arm, like he'd done before with the boy's malformed left hand. "Not if staying is the last thing I do."

He'd rather die than leave his son to this. He'd rather die than leave Allen.

"Akuma, I  _order_  you to kill this man!"

Mana didn't flinch away even as Allen screamed, every drop of pain and fear and denial filling up the sound, fit to burst like a water balloon filled with blood.

But he didn't move.

Instead, dirt flew everywhere as something green and glowing shot out of Allen's grave and then latched tight around Mana's throat. Then, without his consent, it took control of his voice and made him scream.

But it wasn't his scream. It was Allen's - the one he'd just made, so horrible Mana never wanted to hear it again.

Allen shuddered, and then he slumped slightly.

 _"Mana…"_  he whispered, soft and weak.

And then he disintegrated, and Mana was left covered in dust, the Earl gone away as soon as the Innocence burst from the grave, one hand clutching uselessly at the enraged Innocence that was so tight around his throat.

* * *

Cross found him like that, hours later, Innocence still glowing with activation.

"You are so  _stupid,"_  was the first thing he said, scowling darkly at him.

"I know."

"You've ruined everything we've worked for."

"I know."

"And now you're chained and collared to the Order like a goddamn dog."

"I know."

Cross sighed, heavy and irritated. "Look. I know you liked the kid. But  _get the fuck over it._  You need to go to the Order you've damned yourself to, and I need to try and find out who else he might reincarnate into so  _I_  can clean your fucking mess."

Mana closed his eyes and nodded. "Right."

And Cross turned and left, unable to bring himself to care whether or not the man he left behind lived or died.


End file.
